


Armour

by kiyala



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Gen, Introspection, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9539081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: Yuzu thinks of her counterparts and tries to understand them better through their clothes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Set around the beginning of season 2, when Yuzu is putting on Rin's riding suit.

Serena's clothes fit like they were made for Yuzu to wear. She doesn't have the chance to think about it at the time of the swap, too busy being glad that they fit well enough to be convincing, too focused on the mission in front of her to buy Serena enough time to find and speak to Shun.

It's not until much later, when she's in Synchro Dimension, that she actually gets the time to stop and think about Serena again at all. She wishes they had more time together, so they could talk to each other in greater depth and perhaps even work out why there are two of them—three including Ruri and now four, including Rin. Instead, all she has are the memories of a rushed exchange and Serena's clothes on her body, the uniform of the Academia that had worked as a flag to draw the attention of the Obelisk Force away from Serena but now, in Synchro Dimension, mean nothing to anyone except for her.

The clothes are light and practical. Yuzu appreciated the layers back in Maiami City with the ice field surrounding her during the battle royale, but appreciated the ease of movement even more. Looking down at herself in the red jacket and flat boots, she smiles to herself. She feels as if she can understand Serena a little better, just through her clothes. For all that Yuzu has heard of the Academia, she already knows that Serena's experiences are different. Being kept within the walls of the Academia, not allowed to fight on the front lines like the others, Serena's clothes are softer than what Yuzu imagines a soldier's clothing would be like. 

Still, they carry the promise of something _more_ , and Yuzu isn't sure if she's projecting her own feelings, or what she knows of Serena's feelings, but the striking red of the uniform makes her feel unstoppable. It makes her think of Serena's desire to prove herself, driving her to cross dimensions, and Yuzu can't say that she would do any different if she were put in that situation either. Her bracelet sending her across dimensions might not have been as deliberate, but Yuzu isn't planning on wasting any time while she's here. The thought that she has more in common with Serena than just their appearances is a comforting one. Serena is bold and strong and beautiful for the ways she carries herself with confidence. It's not just the fact that Yuzu is wearing her clothes; it's something that Yuzu wants to aim for herself as well.

Standing in Rin's room now, in front of a closet full of clothes that are also Yuzu's size, she wonders if they can also give her a glimpse of a girl she's never met.

Rin's clothing looks comfortable and casual, like Yuzu's own. Clothes from a place that doesn't yet know what it's like to be constantly engaged in a battle for survival, whether in training, waging war across dimensions, or defending a home from destruction. Yuzu reaches into the closet, curling her fingers into the soft material, even softer than Serena's clothes. There isn't much she can do here, but every small step counts if it means sparing Synchro Dimension from the same fate as XYZ. She doesn't want Yuugo to have the same fate as Yuuto, or to see the pain of loss in anyone else's eyes, the way she could always see it in Kurosaki's expression.

Reaching the end of Rin's closet, Yuzu finds the riding suit, similar to the one Yuugo wears. It's pink and Yuzu pulls it out of the closet, unable to shake the feeling that this, too, was made for her to wear. She lays it out across Rin's bed and looks down at it, taking a deep breath. Her fingers falter on the buttons of Serena's Academia-issued jacket, knowing that taking it off will mean that she won't have a physical part of Serena with her any more. It's amazing how comforting Serena's presence has become in such a short time, just through her clothes.

In the end, she keeps the undershirt. She wears it beneath the riding suit and pulls the zip up over the dark material, immediately feeling much better for it. If Serena's clothes felt like metaphorical armour, Rin's feel much more literal. The riding suit is protective by design, made of thick and durable material, meant to keep her safe while on a D-Wheel. She's covered from neck to toe but that isn't what makes her feel strong; it's the fact that this is what duellists wear in this dimension. This is what will let her participate in the Friendship Cup, to put her in front of a large audience so she can warn all of them about the Academia and the threat they pose to every other dimension. 

Putting Rin's riding suit on feels like the next step she needs to take to help Synchro Dimension and it strengthens her resolve. This is how she'll help, and she'll keep part of Serena with her too. She isn't alone. Not with Yuugo here, not with Serena, not with Yuuya and everyone else, no doubt doing what they can too.

Looking down at the bracelet on her wrist, Yuzu takes a deep breath and thinks of Ruri too, who she never had the chance to meet the way she's met Serena, who she's heard even less of than Rin. There are four of them, she reminds herself. She might not understand why, and it might even be something that she _never_ finds the answer for, but that's not something she can afford to dwell on right now. She'll add Serena's strength and Rin's stubbornness to her own. She'll fight for Ruri, for Rin, for Serena, and for herself. 

"Yuzu!" Yuugo knocks on the door, startling her out of her thoughts. "Are you ready yet? You're taking even longer than Rin, you know."

Looking at herself in the mirror, Yuzu sees herself, and all the others too. She raises her voice to reply, not taking her eyes off her reflection. "I am. Let's do this."


End file.
